Sweet Silver Lining
by horsemadhorsegal
Summary: A series of one shots  about 100, from a challenge a friend sent me  about Ron and Hermione, one of my favorite couples ever! Shots are of a varying length and are in non-chronilogical order, all set after the event of DH
1. Beginnings

(Birth of Rose Weasley, Dec 2006)

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><p>Hermione lay sleeping in bed, her stomach reaching out in front of her, leaving a huge gap between her and her husband. Labour couldn't be too far away, judging by the twinges that she had been getting on and off for a day or so. Just gentle nudges, suggesting that her baby would soon be here. Ron snored next to her, one hand resting on Hermione's belly as she dreamed.<p>

_The two of them were at the beach together. Hermione remembered the beach from her past; it was where they had been on one of their first dates, back after the war. Ron dived under the sea and grabbed her feet. She laughed and jumped over him, swimming away. He swam after her, laughing too. As they made their way to the beach he tickled her waist and poked her tummy. Pushing the red-head away from her she ran up the beach away from him. Again he chased her, tackling her to the ground on the blanket that was there. Leaning down he kissed her lips and nose as she giggled at his playful pokes at her stomach. But as she squirmed away from his touch, it occurred to her that his hands weren't on her stomach; they were either side of her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she saw the wall of water tearing towards them from the beach. _

_''Ron!'' she yelled out in panic._

The brunette's eyes shot open at the sharp pain in her stomach as she felt a warm wetness run from between her legs. This was it, her baby was coming.

''Ron!'' she poked the red head, who just groaned and moved away. Hermione sat up and grabbed his shoulder, ''Ronald Weasley wake up!''

Hermione was surprised to feel the panic set in, she had been worried about giving birth but felt that she had a read enough on the subject and would be ok. At this point, she had planned to get up and get her bag whilst Ron got dressed and then they were to floo to St Mungo's. At the moment, there was no waking Ron.

''RON!'' she yelled at him. He blearily opened his eyes and grunted.

''Everything ok love?'' he asked, sleepily.

''No Ron, it's bloody well not!'' she said in panic, ''My waters have broken and you're not awake and I don't remember what I have to do and, and... And I'm scared.''

Ron heard the fear break through her voice and felt instantly guilty for not getting up straight away. He had no idea what his role was expected to be either but he wasn't going to let her know that. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Hermione.

''It's ok sweetie, it's ok,'' he murmured to her, rubbing her back, ''They'll explain what you have to do when you get there and it'll all be ok, don't stress.''

Hermione took a deep breath and pulled back from him, ''Ok, you're right, it'll be fine,'' she winced as she felt another sharp pain and groaned.

Ron pulled on the first clothes he came to as Hermione got out of bed and picked up her bag. He took her by the hand and led her downstairs to the fire.

* * *

><p>''Hello Mrs Weasley,'' the receptionist smiled at her when they arrived, ''Shall I take you to your room? You have private room 3 today where you'll be able to stay during your whole stay.''<p>

Ron smiled at his dishevelled wife and squeezed her hand. The room was painted yellow and had a bed in the centre with a chair either side. On one side of the room was a door, which Ron presumed to lead off to a bathroom. The bedside cabinet had a few magazines and books lying on it and various pieces of medical equipment looked ominously on from a shelf on one side. But for Ron and Hermione, the most notable part of the room was to one side, a currently empty cot. In a short time it would contain a baby. Ron's stomach twisted with nerves.

Hermione gasped as another contraction took over her.

''Come on, 'Mione,'' Ron spoke softly to her, ''Let's get you in the bed.''

Hermione moved over to the single bed, wary of the different contraptions surrounding her. She remembered Ginny explaining how scary it had been for her. Yes, they had all faced dark magic and evil people in the past but this was different. This was going into a different unknown, bringing a new someone into the world.

''I'm going to send Harry and Ginny a patronus a minute, to let them know,'' he said to her, stepping outside the room as he did so.

''Ron?'' Hermione called. His head popped back around the door again as she whispered, ''I love you.''

A few hours later and a maternity healer was inspecting Hermione.

''Ok Hermione,'' she said efficiently as she stood up and pulled her gloves off, ''I think another few hours and you'll have a little baby to hold.''

Ron squeezed her hand and smiled at her. Hermione just nodded, speechless. She shifted as she felt another contraction coming over her and groaned loudly. The maternity healer smiled at the two of them, ''Not long now, I promise.''

When she had left the room, Hermione looked at Ron, ''I'm scared,'' she whispered, groaning as another contraction took hold. They were coming thick and fast now and had moved from being painful to being excruciating.

''I know babe, but you're doing so well. And just think, we'll have our little one in a bit to hold,'' Ron's eyes watered at the thought of holding a baby, his baby.

At that moment, Ginny's head appeared around the door.

''Is everything ok?'' she asked. Hermione nodded and beckoned her sister-in-law into the room.

''I didn't realise you were here Gin,'' Hermione said.

''Yeah we just got here; Harry and Mum are here too. Dads at home with James for the minute - won't be long before he wants us to have James back,'' Ginny chuckled at the thought of her Dad struggling to control her two year old son.

''Can we intrude?'' Harry appeared.

''No mate, get out,'' Ron jested, ''Course you can; wouldn't be right not to have you here at the birth of our child.''

''Are you ok Hermione?'' Molly fussed, ''Can I get you anything?''

But Hermione at that moment was rendered speechless by another contraction.

''I'm fine,'' Ron said, ''Geez, no-one asks about the father - this is very stressful for me too!''

''Ronald Billius Weasley! If I hear you say that again, I will show you what stress is,'' his mother glowered at him, clearly not in the mood for joking around.

''I'm ok thanks, it's just a case of waiting now,'' Hermione replied.

''Do you know how long?'' Ginny asked.

''A few hours they reckon, but no guarantees,'' she replied, moaning at the latest contraction.

''Well we'll leave you to it for a bit,'' Molly said, moving to the door, ''Anyone want a coffee?''

''Yes please,'' Ginny replied, glancing at her mother as Harry left as well.

''How are you anyway Gin? How's the bump? I forgot to ask before,'' Hermione asked; Ginny was six months pregnant.

''I'm ok thanks, and yeah bumps good,'' Ginny replied, smiling and letting her hand rest on her tummy. Harry stood by the door waiting for his wife, a wide smile breaking across his face; he was excited about having another child - being a dad really suited him.

''Come on Gin, your mother has left me here to ensure that you leave them for a bit. I don't feel like being on the wrong side of her today,'' he winked at Ron and Hermione as Ginny huffed and made for the door.

''Honestly, she's such a fuss ass sometimes.''

* * *

><p>''Right Hermione, when I say so, you need to push as hard as you can, ok?'' the healer said.<p>

Hermione nodded back and squeezed Ron's hand. The last few hours had been agony, despite the numerous potions she had been given for the pain. It was most annoying that they didn't have such a thing as an epidural in the wizarding world, Hermione felt as the pain relieving potions had done little to help her. She still felt a bit guilty that she had yelled at Ron as much as she had; a little while ago she a cursed him in four different languages and threatened to hex his bollocks off to prevent any other children. She hoped that he wasn't too upset by this little outburst but then he had also witnessed her yell at both Harry and Ginny, whom she had possibly never yelled at before. Now only her and Ron with a few healers remained in the room.

''Right, push now Hermione, as hard as you can!'' the healer encouraged her. Hermione gritted her teeth and pushed. After a few minutes the healer looked up at her.

''You're going to have to push a damn bit harder than that dear, come on you can do it,'' she encouraged. Hermione shook her head.

''I can't do this. I just can't.''

''Hermione,'' Ron grabbed her shoulders, shaking them slightly, ''You have to do this. You can't give up now, not when you're so close. You've fought dark wizards single handed and you're the cleverest person I know - I owe you my life. You can do this.''

The healer looked taken aback, ''Ok Hermione, let's have a go at this again.''

Hermione, threw herself into pushing as hard as she could, she had to do this for Ron if nothing else. She roared and grabbed Ron's hand.

''That's it!'' the healer encouraged. Glancing at Ron she noticed his face had drained from colour, who faintly smiled at her.

''Right, again Hermione a few more like that and we'll be done.''

Hermione put everything into pushing again but a few more repeats of the process and she was exhausted. Sweat ran down her face and her breathing was heavy.

''One more, I promise,'' the healer encouraged. Hermione shook her head, the exhaustion showing across her body.

''Come on 'Mione,'' Ron spoke up. Looking into her husband's eyes, she remembered all the times that he had given her strength to carry on; from her 1st year, he had inspired her to continue. Mustering her remaining strength from deep down, she pushed harder than she ever thought possible, roaring again as she did so.

''Yes Hermione, that's it!''

The room was suddenly filled with a new screaming. The healer held up a wriggling, pink and slightly bloody baby and handed it to Hermione.

''Congratulations on a baby girl, you two,'' she smiled at them, before turning to clean herself up. Hermione drew the baby close to her chest. Ron moved closer, hugging his wife and smiling proudly at his daughter.

''Well done darling,'' he murmured. Hermione looked up at him and their eyes met. He reached in a kissed her, tasting the sweat on her lips. He didn't think he had ever been so proud in his life, not even defeating the worlds dark forces compared to this; he finally understood what Harry had been going on about.

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><p><strong>AN -Really pleased with how this turned out; I had my music on shuffle and Shania Twain, From This Moment On started playing as I wrote the last bit, which just summed it up - Ron and Hermione looking at their daughter for the first time and knowing they will love her always. I was intending on continuing the chapter for a little bit but then I felt that it would only be right to finish it here. Hope you enjoyed, please read and review :)**


	2. Middles

(Rons 40th Birthday, 1st March 2020)

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><p>''SURPRISE!'' the whole room shouted at him as he walked into his house after a long day at work. George had had to leave early for whatever reason and left him in charge of the shop for the remainder of the day; it was just his luck that it had been a relatively quiet day with not a lot to do. Ron hated being bored. But now it would appear that he had just discovered precisely why he had been left on his own for the afternoon. A surprise party, no doubt organised by his ridiculously organised wife.<p>

Looking around the room, it seemed that the whole of the Weasley clan had made an appearance. Harry and Ginny (Potters technically) stood together next to the door, Harry clapping him on the back for reaching the big four oh. Hermione smiled at him from the other side of the room, obviously relieved that she had managed to keep the secret. George and Angelina smirked at him, Percy and Audrey watched on, Bill and Fleur laughed at him, Charlie looked on with his parents. Other friends of theirs also gathered, Neville and Hannah Longbottom along with Luna and plenty of others. It was official, he was now middle aged.

''Thanks guys,'' he grinned at them. He couldn't believe that he had indeed reached forty. It seemed like people who were 40 were so damn old; there was no way he felt that old, no matter what his body tried to tell him when he played quidditch with the boys. He could remember when his own parents 40 - they had seemed so old then. As he looked at them, he felt his heart go out to them. They had provided so much for him and his siblings when they were younger. And how they had coped when Harry, Hermione and him had been running around after Voldemort. If Hugo or Rose got caught up in something like that... He shuddered at the thought of it. His Rose? No, just no. She was only fourteen for Christ's sake. Then it occurred to him; his children were older than he was when their parents had begun fighting the most evil wizard of all time. How had his parents managed?

''Here sweetheart, have a drink - you looked shell shocked,'' Hermione handed him a drink. Ron shook himself away from those thoughts - now wasn't the time for them.

''Thanks,'' he smiled, kissing her briefly.

''So how does being old feel?'' asked Ginny cheekily.

''Oh brilliant, you know,'' he rolled his eyes at her, ''Honestly, when you get here you are going to get so much grief it won't even be funny.''

''But then you'll be older again,'' she quipped before prancing off to find more drink.

''Nice try mate,'' Harry grinned at him, ''But what does it feel like? I'm not acquainted with it yet.''

Ron pulled a face at him, ''Whatever. How's the head of the auror department these days?''

''Not bad, not bad, thanks. Got a team running around Scotland after some nutter who thinks that they can curse people and get away with it,'' Harry replied.

''Scotland? As in the Scotland up north from here, the country?'' Ron questioned anxiously. That's where Rose and Hugo were, at Hogwarts with Harry's kids, of all people.

''The one and only Ron, how many other Scotland's are you aware of?'' Harry laughed.

''Sorry,'' Ron mumbled, remembering how much protection Hogwarts had - no one could just pop in.

''Everything ok?'' Harry asked, concerned.

''Yeah, yeah. Just umm panicked about the kids you know, at Hogwarts and all...'' Ron trailed off, his skin become a deep shade of red. Harry smirked at him.

''No it's ok Ron their fine. I've put some extra protection around the school just in case, but I don't think it'll take the team long to round him up. I didn't have you down as such a worrier - thought that was Hermione's job.''

''Oh I don't know, Harry. It's just hit me, not for the first time that we were younger than our children are now when we first started the battle against Voldemort. I mean, I can't imagine how they'd cope with that sort of thing now.''

''I know,'' Harry replied thoughtfully, ''Mental. But that's what we did it for; so that future generations could be free. When I said that at the time, it didn't occur to me that I would produce one of those generations.''

''So how was the shop this afternoon Ronniekins?'' George asked, breaking Harry and Ron's thoughtful silence, oblivious to the previous conversation.

''Oh you know, not busy but had a few people came in, like they do,'' Ron replied, relieved for the change in conversation. He may have moved on from the events of the past, but it was still humbling to realise what they had done and what they had put themselves through, at such tender ages.

''Goodness Ron, I can't believe that your 40 now,'' his mother sighed, ''How old does that make us feel now Arthur?''

''About a 100,'' Arthur grinned, winking at Ron.

''Don't be ridiculous Arthur, we aren't _that_ old,'' Molly retorted, genuinely horrified.

''I hope that we are this happy when we are your age, Molly,'' Hermione smiled at her mother-in-law. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such wonderful in-laws who knew her so well. She could still remember a time when she had been calling them Mr and Mrs Weasley. Now it was her and Ron who were called that by Rose and Hugo's friends.

''How are the kids Hermione?'' Molly asked.

''Their good thanks, enjoying Hogwarts as much as we did I think,'' Hermione smiled.

''Only their not getting into nearly as much trouble!'' Ron added, laughing. He was drinking a muggle beer; he had become quite partial to them after his and Harry's jaunts into the muggle world just after the battle where they had gone to escape the wizarding press. A trip to the pub was lovely without the questions and the cameras.

''Yes, well,'' his mother said, ''No-one could get into as much trouble as you lot.''

Arthur chuckled behind her, ''How's life at the shop then Ron?''

''Good thanks Dad. The Hogsmeade store is busy as ever but I tend to run the Diagon Alley shop. We get a fair few customers in; especially tourists come to see the sights of Diagon Alley. It seems our reputation has spread around the world,'' Ron smiled, thinking of the American couple who had been in that morning and practically bought out the shop. Ever since he had left the auror office to join George at the shop when he was twenty, he had never lost the joy of seeing people try out a new product for the first time, or a child's face light up as they walked in. It just appealed to everyone that walked the streets of Diagon Alley and wanted a laugh. It made going to work that bit more joyous.

Ron moved over to the food table, leaving his wife and parents chatting about the kids. There he met a certain red-headed young witch.

''And how is young Victoire these days?'' Ron asked.

''Alright thanks Uncle Ron,'' she smiled back at him.

''Teddy?''

''Yeah, he's here somewhere,'' Victoire paused, rolling her eyes, ''And yes we are still together.''

''Very good, it's been a while hasn't it?'' Ron pushed his luck, enjoying the opportunity to wind his eldest niece up about what they had been saying for years would happen.

''Like 18months,'' she replied, walking off to see someone else, evidently unamused by Ron's rather unsubtle quizzing. The whole family was very proud of her; she was unbelievably clever and was currently working as a student transfiguration teacher at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, where her mother had once studied. Victoire's ability to speak both French and English had allowed her to do far more than the family could have dreamed of. However, probably to Teddy's relief, she was coming back to the UK in September to teach at Hogwarts. For such a young couple, it was difficult to maintain a long distance relationship. Ron knew full well how difficult this was, having gone through this for just under 12months with Hermione whilst he trained to become an auror and she finished school. It had been a crazy year that had pushed them to their limits but had all been worth it. Ron remembered this time as he looked around the room of family and friends who had supported them to get them to this point; not the end by any stretch, just the middle.

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><p><strong>AN - I think I needed this one to go in to work out where everyone was in life and so on, and a bit of reflection for Ron of his life so far. Sometimes you (well I do anyway) have moments in life where you just realise how far you've come in life so far and I think this is one of Ron's moments. Yes life is good, but they are all still haunted by their experiences. And whilst they're all aware of Hogwarts protection, they still worry about their children and family. Ron may not be an employed auror but in my head I think that he didn't become an auror for the job but to know that he could protect his family when he needs to. Thank you for reading and reviewing everyone!**


	3. Ends

(End of Hermione's career as she retires head of the law enforcement office)

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><p>Hermione did one last sweep of her office, checking for anything that she may have left. This is was it. She was stopping work, one last time. It seemed like only yesterday when she had taken the job as head of law enforcement. She had loved the job for all its mental work hours and responsibility. She hoped that she had left her mark on the department. Sweeping a greying strand of hair out of her face, she picked up the final box and her briefcase, and walked away from her office and work for good.<p>

Ron was waiting outside for her. He took the box from her as she handed in her pass to the front office and shook hands with her compatriots and her boss, the Minister for Magic, who thanked her for all her hard work in all her years at the ministry.

''You have bought change to the entire Wizarding world Hermione, we owe you so much,'' the minister said, ''We all look forward to your retirement party on Friday though!''

Ron watched his wife being congratulated for being brilliant and thought back to all the changes she had brought about to the law system. From changing the rights of magical creatures like the House Elves, to rewriting the laws on blood status she had worked incredibly hard, and achieved more than many people dreamed of.

He smiled at her as she finished her pleasantries with her co-workers, and took her hand, leading her away from the Ministry building.

Hermione smiled as she walked with Ron, thinking of all she had achieved thus far in life. She had begun working in the Law Enforcement department after Hugo had left for Hogwarts, after a 12year career break to look after her children. Originally she had been in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, which she had started upon leaving Hogwarts. After seven years there, she had taken a break to have Rose and Hugo. She had returned when Hugo had gone on to Hogwarts but this time to the Law Enforcement Department, when there were no jobs left in her old department. Whilst she had been unsure of moving departments, it had been one of the best moves that she had made, as her and Kingsley had changed wizarding law to stop discrimination against non-pure blood magical folk. She had been in the department for 35 years now, rising through the ranks until she reached the head of the department when she was 57.

When the pair reached their home, Ron asked: ''So darling, what would you like to do now?''

''Well Ron, I've got a list of things I need to do,'' she replied, deadly serious.

Ron shook his head, her working life may have reached its end but with Hermione there was never a dull moment. And he loved her for it.

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><p><strong>AN - Really had a mind blank regarding this chapter, I just didn't know what to write about ends. I hope this works ok though and thank you so much for reading this and for all your reviews! Always inspires me to write :D **


	4. Insides

(Grimmauld Place gets a revamp in the middle of summer by the trio plus Ginny, passing time before moving on to their jobs and back to school)

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><p>''Be careful,'' Molly Weasley fussed at the four teenagers before her. They could hardly be classed as teenagers now, given all that they had been through in the past year. Even Ginny had been to hell and back at Hogwarts that year, although her mother was pretty convinced that she hadn't let on exactly how much and what exactly had happened; to her anyway, there was a bond between her two youngest children and their two closest friends which told the rest of the family that they all knew what had happened at both Hogwarts and whilst on the run. Molly didn't want to push them to share if they weren't ready to. She herself wasn't sure that she could cope with this knowledge, still finding it difficult to deal with the loss of a son.<p>

''Don't worry Mum,'' Ginny said as she hugged her greying mother, ''We'll be fine. Kreacher is going to look after and feed us, we won't be gone for long.''

Her mother smiled weakly at her, ''I know dear, I know.''

Ginny smiled back, the smile not reaching her eyes; instead worry lines creasing her forehead. She was worried about leaving her mother behind; she had struggled so much these last few weeks. Her parents were both finding it hard, understandably and only just holding it together in front of George. George wasn't doing well at all. He was holed up in his room most of the time, sometimes emerging for meals but rarely. It had been thought that he might try to pop back to the shop at some point but no-one had attempted to mention or suggest it and as yet he hadn't tried to. As far as the family was concerned, the shop had been severely vandalised and ruined.

''We can pop back every day if you want Mum?'' Ginny asked, still worried.

''No, no,'' she replied, after thinking for a minute,'' You need some independence and sometime on your own.''

Ron and Hermione were genuinely surprised by Mrs Weasley's reaction to them deciding to leave for a week to visit Grimmauld Place and restore it, removing the dark magic and the remains of the Black family. They weren't sure how they were going to manage this, being that the magic had been there for many years. But Hermione had found a load of books regarding the subject of redecorating houses in any state. Hermione reached forward to hug the older woman, worry clear in her face too.

''Thanks Mrs Weasley,'' she said, ''I'll owl you this evening.''

''Yeah, thanks Mrs Weasley,'' Harry added, hugging her too, trying to put so many unsaid things into the hug.

''Yes, well, thank you, you two - you're such a great help to have around. We all really appreciate it. We'll see you next week. Look after yourselves,'' she said.

''We will,'' Harry smiled back at her.

''Oh Ronnie,'' Molly hugged her son, who stood at least a foot and a half taller than her now. He hugged her back.

''We'll be fine Mum, I promise,'' he said in earnest.

''I know, I know dear,'' she fussed, rubbing some dirt off his face, ''Just don't do anything silly.''

* * *

><p>Ron landed with a thump on the hearth of Grimmauld Place. Dust rose above him, causing him to cough violently.<p>

''Everyone OK?'' he heard Hermione's voice through the smog. He called back to her, along with the other two. Her hand reached out and took his, pulling him to his feet.

''Bloody hell, that was a bit rough,'' he said, dusting himself off.

''Well it would be,'' Hermione responded, ''That fireplace hasn't been part of the floo network for a very long time.''

Out of the corner of Ron's eye he saw Harry brush a piece of hair from Ginny's face. He smiled, he had never thought he could be happy for the two of them, but somehow, amongst this mess, he was. He turned to Hermione, to see her smiling at him. She reached forward, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

''Come on, let's have a look around, see what damage has been done.''

* * *

><p>Harry swore as he looked around the Black family home, his home. The ministry and the death eaters had ransacked the place, leaving very little unturned. He called for Kreacher but couldn't raise him.<p>

''Harry, we have to honest with ourselves,'' Hermione spoke, ''He would have been here when the ministry arrived.''

Harry tried not to think of the steak and kidney pie he had promised them on their return.

''But he might have been ok, he might have got out,'' he attempted to convince himself that the elf was around somewhere, in hiding.

''Listen Harry,'' Ginny said, ''If he was here, then he won't be now. It's unlikely that he told anyone what you were doing, otherwise they would have been able to track you down quicker or realised what you were looking for. He's either gone or in hiding. And he won't come back.''

They watched the hope drain from Harry's face as he realised that Kreacher was indeed gone.

''I was going to thank him. He helped so much. And he knew Sirius,'' Harry faltered, ''He could have told me more about him and the family.''

''Harry, mate,'' Ron stepped in, resting a hand on his friends shoulder, ''I don't think he was that keen on Sirius, and I think the feeling was mutual; look at the way he treated him. Sorry.''

Harry nodded, seeming to pull himself together.

''Right well, how about we start off in the kitchen?'' he said.

''Good idea,'' Hermione agreed, ''We'll need to eat at some point. Oh. We'll need to stock up on food then. Gosh, I didn't even think about that.''

They all followed Hermione back into the sitting room where she picked up a bag.

''Right, Ron and Harry,'' she pulled out some muggle money, ''Here's some money and some polyjuice potion. There's a few hairs in the pocket. They're both muggles so you won't attract any attention. Be on your guard though, we don't need a fight in the middle of Morrison's.''

''Morrison's? What the hell is a Morrison's?'' Ron exclaimed.

''You'll see in a minute,'' Harry said, ''It's a muggle supermarket, where they sell food.''

''Be careful,'' Hermione said, reaching forward to plant a light kiss on Ron's cheek. Ginny kissed Harry, whispering something in his ear. Harry smiled and bent down to kiss her again.

Hermione smiled wistfully as the two walked away, she and Ron were still in the slightly awkward phase between friends and more than friends. They hadn't really had a chance to speak and Hermione didn't want to push it with everything going on. There were times where she just wanted him to snog her senseless so that she knew for certain how he felt about where it was going. They were close though, at night he wrapped his arms around her and calmed her when the nightmares came. Harry and Ginny were sharing a room at the Burrow, once dark came. They all felt a bit guilty about going behind Ron and Ginny's parents but yet, it didn't feel right not to.

The first night after the battle, Ron had come down to the girls dorm at Hogwarts and woken them up, unable to wake Harry from a nightmare. Both Hermione and Ginny had sprinted up to the boy's dorm, shaking him awake. Eventually he had awoken. Ginny stayed with him that night, whilst Ron had suggested that Hermione stayed in with them, not wanting her to go back on her own. She made for one of the other beds but Ron had called her back, telling her to get in with him. She surprised herself by doing so. She was careful not to just snuggle up to him; she didn't want to come across as too forward. She was awoken by Ron, after a particularly horrible nightmare about Bellary. Her back was to him and he took hold of her shoulder and shaken her, whispering her name to get her to wake. He had been woken by her whimpering in her sleep, being tortured by the dream Bellatrix. When she had woken up, she had turned over to face him, tears running down her face and he had pulled her into his chest until they had subsided and the two fell back to sleep, holding each other tight. And that was how it was until they got back to the Burrow. Harry had sneaked down to the girl's room, allowing Hermione to go up to Rons room.

For those on the outside, it looked like a strange situation. They were sharing a bed, but hadn't kissed once since that time in the heat of the battle. They were so close yet so far from being together.

''Shall we start with the kitchen?'' Ginny asked softly, bringing Hermione back from her train of thought.

''Yeah, sure,'' she replied.

The kitchen was probably the most undisturbed of all the rooms. The kitchen table stood in the middle of the room, covered with a fine layer of dust. Pots and pans were scattered around the room along with utensils. Hermione placed the huge bucket of cleaning equipment on the table and pulled her wand out.

''I think that we should start by cleaning out all the cupboards and putting what was in them back,'' Hermione said, moving around the table, ''and then dusting and so on. Oh and if we put all the dishes to wash then they'll be clean when we put them back into the cupboard.''

Together, the two girls pulled all the dishes out and put them to wash and dry in the sink, before using their wands to scrub through all the cupboards, up the walls and along any surfaces. By the time the boys got back, the kitchen was spotless.

''Wow,'' Ron said, speechless.

''That's awesome,'' Harry smiled, ''let's hope we can get through the rest as fast!''

''I wouldn't hold your hopes up Harry. I'd say this is easiest of the rooms,'' Ginny warned him as she hugged him. Hermione put the food that they were carrying away in the now clean pantry.

''I say we make a start on the living room then,'' Ron said.

''Agreed,'' Hermione and Harry said at the same time.

The living room was far worse than the kitchen. Furniture had been ripped apart and cupboards turned out. None of them had any idea whether things had been taken or not; they simply weren't aware of what had been there in the past.

''Harry?'' Hermione asked, standing by one of the cupboards that had been turned over which contained all manner of random items, ''What do you want to do with this stuff? Obviously it's all yours and it's entirely up to you what you do with it but we need to sort it out.''

''Yeah,'' Harry agreed thoughtfully, ''I dunno to be honest with you. I was thinking maybe sort it into three piles; destroy, sell and keep?''

''That sounds good,'' Hermione replied, ''do you want to sort all of that out then? It's no good any of us doing it, we won't know what you want to do with everything. We can sort everything else out then.''

* * *

><p>By the end of the day, the living room was clean and the furniture had been repaired, polished and put back in place. The items from the different cupboards had all been polished and sorted into various piles. Harry hadn't chosen to keep much of, a few choice items here and there but most of the items had traces of dark magic. They went in the pile to be destroyed; there was nowhere to sell them on even if they had wanted to, Borgin &amp; Burkes had been shut down already. Hermione felt that it was the most responsible thing to do, there were still so many people around who wished to take revenge on the Order and the DA, it was too much of a risk that someone would get ideas again, destroying the peace that was finally falling over the wizarding world.<p>

''We'll need to get a ministry official to come and sort them out then really?'' Hermione said as they ate dinner at the table, ''Would someone from your dads department be able to deal with this?''

''Nah, I don't reckon,'' Ron replied, shovelling food into his mouth, ''That's muggle stuff, innit? Bloody good food 'Mione by the way.''

''Suppose so,'' Harry replied, ''maybe we should wait until we've got a whole load of stuff before we call anyone in, that way we'll waste less time.''

''Yeah, good point Harry,'' Ginny smiled at him. Hermione smiled at the two of them, so happy to finally be together. They had announced that they were an official couple after Fred's funeral, keeping things quiet until people had had a chance to grieve. To be honest, they hadn't had much of a chance to see each other anyway until things had quietened down.

''I reckon we could have the downstairs finished in a couple of days,'' Ron said, ''I mean, if we plan to do 2 rooms a day, you know like one before lunch and one afterwards, then we will. I mean the kitchen and living rooms are already done. We have the dining room, drawing room, hallway and library to do and then we'll be done down here. If we can manage the same and the top few floors as well then we'll definitely get through it all. And the bedrooms aren't as bad, dark magic wise, as the rooms we're doing at the moment. If we get a chance, I was thinking we could paint most of place as well, it will only take maybe half a day by magic.''

Harry nodded in agreement, ''I think that the more we can get done this week, the better. Oh and what are we going to do about the portrait in the hall? I'm not being funny but I don't think she really adds much here, do you?''

''Yes, I mean it will difficult to remove her but I think there may be a way. A portrait frame can only be moved if the inhabitant is absent, which will involve creating another portrait somewhere else so that we can move her across and then remove the empty frame and portrait from here,'' Hermione replied, remembering what she had read in the book that she had found at the Weasley's, regarding the redecorating of houses, ''There are people who specialise in this sort of thing at the ministry I think.''

''In which case, we need to get someone from that department in a couple of days then,'' Harry said, ''I think I'll write to them tonight and then they'll at least have some warning. And if they can't make it, we can come up with an alternative.''

''Cool. Well then I think we have our plan for the week then,'' Ginny smiled.

* * *

><p>''Oh my goodness!'' Molly Weasley exclaimed as she stepped out of the fireplace and into the living room. The dark, mahogany furniture was arranged around the room, which had been painted a deep red colour. The dark artefacts had been removed and not replaced, leaving cupboards and shelves empty and waiting for the next inhabitant to fill them. A portrait of Sirius Black sat on the wall above the fireplace.<p>

''Wait until you see the rest,'' he murmured to the rest of the Weasley clan who continued to step out of the fireplace.

''You've done a brilliant job with this room, the colour really suits it,'' Mrs Weasley looked around at the four and then to the room, a look of amazement still on her face. The family reunited in the room before being taken on a tour of the house.

The hallway was no longer dark and dingy; it had been painted cream and the wooden floor had clearly been scrubbed until it was shining. The heavy curtains and elf heads had been removed as had the portrait of Mrs Black. It had taken some time but she had been removed by the specialist, and the new portrait placed in a vault at the ministry. The library had been dusted, the books containing very dark magic removed and destroyed. Two desks were found in the room, turning it into more of an office space. The walls had been painted cream again; the four had felt that as cream was a neutral colour and would open the space more, so most of the rooms, barring the living room, had been painted this colour. The big dining table in the dining room had been repaired and placed in the centre, surrounded by chairs. A bunch of lilies had been placed in the centre of the table, giving off a beautiful smell. Finally, downstairs, the drawing room had been emptied of furniture and artefacts completely, and was now just a bare room, again painted cream with a wooden floor.

Moving upstairs, the new lightness from the freshly painted walls really helped to open up the small space. The bedrooms were pretty standard, and many of the trinkets from in the different rooms had been moved downstairs to the living room or dining room as decoration. The furniture had been shuffled around to ensure that each room had a bed, bedside table, wardrobe and a chest of drawers; some rooms had been unfairly balanced. Upstairs they had found many reminders of the time that the Order had spent there, things that had been left behind. Much of the stuff had been returned to their owners, the rest placed in a box in the loft for safe keeping. All seven rooms looked clean and tidy. Sirius' and Regulus' rooms had been completely turned out too, Harry finally biting the bullet to sort out all of Sirius' things. A lot of items had been put in the loft, Harry wanting to keep reminders of the man who gave so much for him, yet Harry did not know as well as he would have liked.

As the family sat down in the kitchen, to discuss the week they had had, Hermione felt immensely proud of their achievements that week, both with the decoration and with each other.

Her and Ron were together now, about to announce it to his parents. She squirmed in nervousness; there was nothing hugely different now than there was at the start of the week. They hadn't had sex yet, the time just wasn't right, they just felt even closer than before. Everyone knew that they were in love; it had just taken a while for them to be ready for it after the battle.

Inside the house was sorted. And, Hermione felt that, for now, so were her feelings.

* * *

><p><strong>AN - I always wanted Harry to keep Grimmauld Place but it really did need a revamp! I think that the four of them needed some time away from their manic, crazy lives after the war and this was one of the ways I thought of. Thank you again for reading and reviewing!**


	5. Outsides

(Family picnic with the Potter family, summer 2016)

* * *

><p>Thank Merlin we have a land rover, Ron thought to himself as he put the cool box in the back of the vehicle. They were all going for a picnic with Harry, Ginny and their kids. Hermione was madly packing food in the kitchen and as she filled a box, Rose would appear with it for Ron to pack in the land rover. Hugo was not doing anything to help, deciding that flying around the yard on his little broom was more important.<p>

''Dad! Dad!'' Rose shouted.

''Yes Rosie?'' he called back at her.

''Their here!'' she squealed excitedly. Harry and Ginny were coming to their house by floo with James, Albus and Lily so that they could drive to the picnic location. Apparation was forbidden with children under the age of eleven so apparating there was out of the question. This way, all the food could be packed and everyone could travel together. Hermione seemed to enjoy this step into the muggle world, being the only one out of the four of them that could drive.

It was a beautiful summer's day and it would be the last time that all the children would be together before James left for Hogwarts in September. He had received his Hogwarts letter a few days ago and was overly excited. It clearly hadn't dawned on him how long he would be away from his family. Harry and Ginny, like Ron and Hermione, were very close to their children and hadn't been separated for more than a week before.

Although it was the norm, the jump up to Hogwarts was still a shock. Ron didn't really remember Bill leaving for Hogwarts as he was only 18months old but he remembered being hit hard when Charlie had left. With Bill away most of the time, Ron had grown up with Charlie as the oldest for the majority of the time and Ron remembered crying for a few days after he had left. He had been so happy to see him at Christmas he had thrown himself into his arms when he walked through the front door and not let go for the day. By the time Percy and the twins had left, he was used to the coming and going of Hogwarts students and took his charge of looking after Ginny very seriously when they went. Ron still remembered Charlie sitting him down when it was Percy's turn to leave and saying to him how he felt that Ron was the slightly more responsible in comparison to the twins and that he would have to make sure that Ginny was looked after properly. Ron had never been so proud up until then and took his role very seriously, continuing it when she had joined them at Hogwarts. He never imagined handing over that role to Harry when he first met him on the train to Hogwarts, but then he hadn't imagined that he and Hermione the know-it-all would end up as friends, let alone happily married.

''Dad!'' Rose said from behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts, ''Come on, everyone's nearly ready to go and you haven't finished packing yet.''

She tutted, dropping more bags in front of him. He reached over and ruffled her wild hair, the identical texture to her mothers, yet the same colour as his own; the Weasley trademark.

''Alright Rosie,'' he smiled at her, ''Bloody hell, how many people are going on this picnic?''

''Nine. And you should be more careful with you language, you know how mum gets cross when you use bad language in front on us,'' She turned, a stern look on her face, and disappeared back into the house. Ron was struck, not for the first time, how alike she was to Hermione. She must have been only a couple of years older than Rose was now when they had first met. How things changed.

''Uncle Ron!'' Lily shouted across the yard before running at her uncle and giving him a big hug.

''Hey Lil, how's it going?'' he scooped the eight year old up. Like Rosie reminded everyone of Hermione, Lily reminded everyone of her mother. She got the same determined look and had the same long red hair spilling down her back; a Weasley far more so than a Potter.

''Hey James,'' Ron smiled at his eldest nephew and godson, ''How are you?''

''M'alright thanks Uncle Ron,'' he said, lazily watching Hugo zoom around the yard.

''Good to hear. Oi Hugo! Get over here and speak to your cousins,'' he yelled at his son. Hugo, however, chose to ignore him. Ron sighed and put Lily down before heading indoors.

''Mione, go and extract your son from his broomstick. He refuses to pay attention to me,'' Ron huffed, turning to Harry and Ginny standing in the kitchen. Ginny smirked at him.

''No control eh Ron?'' she winked at him. Ron glowered back at her.

''Very funny. Like you have complete control over any of your kids,'' he jibbed back at her good naturedly. Harry laughed at this, knowingly.

''Is there anything else to do?'' he asked.

''Well,'' Ron said thoughtfully, ''You could pop back in time and help me to pack the land rover?''

''Sure mate, be right there,'' Harry joked back at him.

''No,'' Hermione interrupted the friendly banter, ''I think we're ready to go!''

''Kids!'' Ron yelled, ''Get in the land rover, we're off!''

At that moment, Hugo zoomed through the front door, into the kitchen and straight out the back door, swiftly followed by James. Albus and Rose were hot on his heels, whilst Lily trailed along after them, not yet fast enough to keep up with the older ones. They completely ignored Ron who sighed, threw his arms in the air and rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Eventually all the children were packed into the land rover and the two families set off. Hermione drove them through the countryside with Ginny beside her so they could chat. The two of them rarely go to talk very much with everything going on; well at least, not as much as they would like to. Harry and Ron sat in the very back with the Albus and Rose and James, Lily and Hugo sat in the middle section, Lily between the two boys. Hermione drove through the countryside to the moors where they all piled out. All the food was carried to the chosen picnic place.<p>

It was a sweet place, next to a stream and enclosed by trees. The children really enjoyed being in the outdoors, where they were free to run around and play.

Ginny and Hermione had made a huge amount of food, together rivalling even Molly Weasley's famous spreads. The two girls had helped out a lot at the Burrow over the years and had put this into practice in the years since as their families had grown. Hermione didn't see herself as much of a 'domestic goddess' but in truth she was a talented cook and looked after her little family fantastically. Ginny may have been a strong willed girl and tough as nails, but she secretly enjoyed cooking and providing food for her family. Interestingly enough, all the Weasley women were brilliant at cooking and baking, even Fleur made incredible food, it just happened to be very French!

The secluded area fell quiet as all five children tucked into the food ravenously; all had inherited Weasley appetites to Molly Weasley's relief. Hermione had made Cornish pasties with a recipe from an aunt of hers, sausage rolls, egg sandwiches, caramel slice and choc chip cookies as well as providing healthier options like carrot and celery sticks with a hummus dip. Ginny had made some scotch eggs, ham rolls, a chocolate sponge, a carrot cake and banana chocolate muffins. The children drank pumpkin juice whilst the adults had bottles of butterbeer in hand. There was much laughter around the little group, enjoying time together spent outside in the sun.

Once lunch was finished, the children played tag as the adults lazed around on the blankets, chatting about work and other family members.

''Right,'' Harry said, moving to get up, ''How about a game of cricket?''

Both Harry and Hermione had taught Ron, Ginny and their siblings to play cricket the summer after the war. It was a good way of passing their free time together when they just didn't feel like quidditch. It meant that Hermione, Fleur and sometimes Arthur could join in. But most importantly, it distracted them from the hole that was left after Fred was gone. Him and George had always been the one to organise the quidditch; the pain on George's face when Ron had stuck his foot right in it and suggested that they all played a match of quidditch broke all of their hearts - Ron had felt guilty about it for weeks. George had left the room and gone to his room, not emerging for the remainder of the afternoon. So to lighten the situation, Harry had suggested cricket. The two of them had collaborated on rules, making up any that they weren't sure on and so the Weasley's cricket tradition had been born.

Harry pulled the cricket bats, ball and stumps out of a bag nearby and began to set them up, with the help of the children.

''Right, Lily and Hugo are team captains. They pick the teams and their decision is final - no bribery or blackmail. Hermione is umpire,'' Harry called out, smiling sympathetically at Hermione. They didn't need to be told the rules; they knew them by heart now. It was traditional for the youngest two to be captains in their version of the game so that, whilst they may not be the strongest, they were heavily involved. However, he suspected that the rule had been invented by Bill and Charlie to split him and Ginny up at the Burrow. Ron fished a coin out of his pocket and tossed it.

''Lily, your call,'' he said.

''Heads!'' she called.

''Tails it is, Hugo - you pick first.''

''James!'' he yelled.

''Albus!'' Lily called, not wasting a second.

''Rose,'' Hugo called, ''You're good at tactics.''

Rose ambled over to join her brother. She suspected that he only called her because otherwise she was left until last. But it was nice of her brother to compliment her. Ron smiled at the pair of them, proud of them both.

''Uncle Ron!'' Lily shouted.

''Aunt Ginny!'' Hugo was secretly pleased with his choices. Rose would organise the team and arrange some tactics, James was really good at batting and fielding and his Aunt Ginny, well if she was opposing Uncle Harry and her brother, she was bound to be on top form.

''Guess you've got me then Lil,'' Harry smiled, pretending to be upset that he was left until last.

''Aww Dad, I'm sorry, it's just that I didn't want Uncle Ron to feel unloved either - it's usually him who's left until last,'' Lily replied, looking upset that she may have upset her father. Harry laughed.

''It's alright Lil, Uncle Ron knows he's as good as me,'' Harry playfully shoved Ron out the way, picking up the bat, ''Lil, we bat first.''

* * *

><p>In the end it was Hugo's team which won by two runs. Rose thumped the air and whooped at the opposing team. Ginny laughed at her, smirking at Ron and Harry who were standing with Lily and James looking disbelievingly at their opposites.<p>

''Alright Rose, don't be a bad winner,'' Hermione rebuked her. Lily's arms were folded and she looked decidedly put out. Rose, looking guilty, went and gave her a hug and thanked her for being such a good sport.

''Next time, pick me and we'll win,'' she whispered in her younger cousin's ear.

''Dad,'' Hugo began, ''before we go home can we play hide and seek?''

''Yeah!'' yelled the other four excitedly. Ron looked at his watch, before looking up at the others for their consent. They nodded back at him, glad to have an excuse to stay out in the sunshine.

''One. Two. Three...''

* * *

><p><strong>AN - Really pleased with this one again, it changed from how I imagined it at first and I wanted to continue with the hide and seek scene but I thought it would start to get a bit repetitive and long so I finished here, which I think is alright actually. It had to be one of those days; before everything changes that they will all look back on and remember fondly. I can imagine that a family member, especially at only 11, leaving for boarding school is hard on the parents but equally difficult on the siblings left behind, which is why I wanted to include the bit about Ron. I realised, doing some background research on the Weasley family (for birth dates and ages etc) that Ron wouldn't remember having Bill at home very much whilst he was growing up because the age gap is so great but Charlie, Percy and the twins would have been around more. Anyway I shall stop rambling on; thank you again for reading :D**


	6. Firsts

(Ron and Hermione's first time, New Years Eve 1999/2000)

* * *

><p>''Happy New Year!'' the whole room cried. Hermione turned to Ron, who caught her in a crushing hug. He kissed her lips softly.<p>

''Happy New Year beautiful,'' he murmured, a smile stretching across his face. She buried her face in his neck, oblivious to the chaos of people surrounding them.

''I love you,'' she whispered back, moving in to kiss him. A new millennium had dawned, fresh and new, for the wizarding world.

''Hold on,'' he whispered back to her, grabbing her waist. He apparated them to the front door of a hotel. Hermione felt her jaw drop and her stomach churn.

''Ron,'' she began, turning to him.

''It's too early isn't it?'' he said, more to himself than to her, ''It's ok, we don't have to go any further at all, we can just enjoy the luxuries of a hotel. I really don't want to pressurise you, please don't think that I would. I just...''

''Stop babbling Ron,'' Hermione moved a hand down to his backside as they stood, still embraced from the party that they had just left, ''I can't think of anything more perfect tonight. I know you would never pressurise me into anything because I love you.''

Relief spread across Ron's face and he took her hand. They walked through the quiet hotel lobby, the noise of a party just heard in the distance. Hermione felt her stomach churn as they got in the lift to their floor number. This would be her first time; his first time; their first time. She knew that they had waited for good reason: they both wanted it to happen at the right time with the right person. Hermione had known that Ron was the right person for a long time now but after the war, the time had not been right and then they had been separated for such a long time. For a whole year she had been away at Hogwarts; the number of times she had seen him could be counted on one hand, as his auror training had taken over his own life. The time had never come for them, most of the times when they saw each other were around family, very few had been alone. The past six months since they had been graduated had been just as difficult. A six month ministry course within the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures kept her frantically busy and Ron's regular auror assignments meant that, on the rare occasion he was at home; he was exhausted and usually injured. Hermione couldn't quite believe that he'd managed to get an entire week off from the aurors with Harry; they finished on Christmas Eve and would return again on the 2nd of January.

They reached the door to the room in silence. Ron fumbled with the key as she stood next to him, not sure whether to help or continue to stand, feeling a bit awkward. Eventually though, they entered the room. It was large and had a four poster bed with crisp white sheets. A door stood ajar, showing a good sized bathroom for the two of them. A small suitcase had been placed at the end of the bed.

''I, umm, I got Ginny to pack you some things,'' his face turned bright red as he said it, and Hermione herself felt her cheeks warm up.

''Umm thanks, I guess,'' she felt flattered that he had gone to so much trouble to do this for her, but the nerves made her feel awkward. She had no idea what to expect from this and she didn't know what Ron expected. She felt herself begin to panic a bit.

''I just need to use the bathroom a minute,'' she said quietly, going tomato red. She wanted to stall, to find a way of stopping feeling so embarrassed. Maybe this was the sign that she wasn't ready; even as this thought crossed her mind, she knew it wasn't it, she was ready. She wanted to show Ron how much she loved him and needed him in her life. _And after all_ she thought _we've done stuff before, we've slept in the same bed. We just haven't been all the way, it'll be fine._

She removed the small amount of makeup that she had been wearing that evening, letting her hair flow down her back as well. Splashing some water on her face, she made her way back to the main room of the hotel. Ron was lounging on the sofa, watching the fireworks out of the window. He had taken of his jacket and shoes and his hair was slightly mussed where he had run his hands through it. He turned as he heard Hermione pad back into the room.

''Hey,'' he smiled nervously at her, ''do you want to come and sit? We can see fireworks from here.''

She sat down next to him, leaning into his open arms, which wrapped around her shoulder. For a minute or so, she watched the colourful lights of the fireworks and then turned to look at him. He was already looking at her, their faces almost touching. She moved her face closer to his very slowly, wanting to kiss those sweet, soft lips. He tilted his head slightly, encouraging her forward. They paused as their noses overlapped. She could feel his breath on her face, warm and encouraging. And so she kissed him softly. He returned the kiss just as gently.

Immediately Hermione felt the knot in her stomach dissolve into happiness. Just feeling his lips on hers was enough to reassure her that they didn't have to leap straight in. They had time.

''I love you,'' she whispered, pulling away for a moment, ''Sorry about before.''

''You don't need to be sorry 'Mione. I love you and will do whatever you want me to,'' he replied, kissing her back more urgently now. She pushed into him, moving so that she was level with his face and not having to reach up. He parted her lips with his tongue, as he had done so many times before, drawing a moan from his girlfriend. Her hands ran over his chest, strong and muscular, ready to fight at any minute. His hands rested on either side of her face, holding her gently in place, before moving to her shoulders and waist. Ron leant back a bit, so that some of her weight rested on him, giving him better access to her body. This had another effect, however, causing his trousers to tighten. Hermione, feeling this, jumped slightly, her insides knotting again but in a different way to before. She came up for breath quickly, and then attacked his mouth again, plunging her tongue into his mouth as she straddled him.

His mouth dropped to her collarbone, exposed by the strapless dress she was wearing. He had barely been able to keep his hands off her during the annual Weasley's Wizard Wheezes New Years Eve party. Neither of them had drunk much that night. Hermione had been left under the impression that she was apparating Ron home, unaware that Ron had stopped drinking at about eleven for good reason, in order to be sober by the time midnight came around.

His hands moved to her legs, pinning her to him as she loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the milky white, solid chest. Scars ran across it, showing the battles he had fought in the past. Her delicate fingers ran along each of them. They had seen each other's scars a long time ago, back in that first summer after the war. Emotion ran across both their faces as they remembered how lucky they were to still be alive.

Ron lifted Hermione up slightly and stood up, carrying her to the large bed. He set her down and eased her see through tights off her. Carefully he covered her with his body, nuzzling at her neck as his hands moved to the back of her dress. Hermione arched into him, moaning as he kissed the top of his breasts. He pulled the zip of her dress down, before removing it and pushing it to the floor. Small hands pulled at his belt, suddenly more urgent than before.

And then they were just in their underwear. They had been there a few times before but this was so different; they both knew that they were ready to continue, not like the times before. Ron, now lying beside Hermione, kissed her lips softly, running his hands over her covered breasts. She moaned slightly at his touch, moving her lips over his jaw and to his ear lobe. He reached behind her and bent his head down, leaving a scorching trail of kisses down the centre of her chest. Once the bra was removed, he took the right, hardened nipple in his mouth, sucking and nibbling, before moving to her left nipple, where he repeated the process. Hermione panted and moaned above him. He continued to kiss down her stomach; reaching the top of her panties. He looked up at her, wanting permission to continue.

''Please Ron,'' she whined.

He pushed her legs apart slightly and ran his fingers across her fabric-covered core. She gasped loudly. Ron was amazed by how wet she was for him; her knickers were soaked with her juices. He pulled them down, threw them behind him somewhere and gazed in wonder at her, fully naked on the bed. Her face turned pink as she looked at him looking at her.

''Fuck Hermione. You're so beautiful,'' he wanted to ravish her, fuck her hard and fast, fuck her long and slow. He wanted to show this beautiful woman just how amazing and stunning she was.

Hermione was touched by his words and the look on his face. She knew she wasn't good looking and she was acutely aware of all the flaws of her body but Ron made her feel safe and loved and more secure. She couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else, someone she didn't know. She knelt in front of Ron, pulling his boxers down, taking a good look at his member. It was bigger than she imagined and stood to attention, and she briefly panicked: surely that was too large to go where it should?

''Ron,'' she gasped, ''You're stunning.''

A red tinge crept across his pale skin and he opened his mouth to speak. Hermione, however, silenced him, reaching out and stroking him. It jumped at her touch and Ron groaned loudly. A look of wonderment spread across her face as she continued to gently stroke it. Ron's eyes shut in pleasure as he grunted her name.

''Is this ok?'' Hermione asked gently. Ron heard the vulnerability in her voice and opened his eyes.

''It's fantastic,'' he reached in and kissed, removing her hand and lying her back down, covering her naked body with his own. His long, rough fingers ran through her wet folds. She gasped again at the sensations created by her boyfriend, her Ron.

''Where does it feel good baby? You have to tell me,'' he whispered in her ear, his hands continuing to move.

''It all feels good,'' she replied breathlessly, but moved her hand down to join him. She covered his hand with her own, guiding him to the bundle of nerves that was already overtly sensitive. He smoothed over it with his thumb and removed her hand. Wriggling down the bed, he widened her legs and placed his head between them. She whimpered his name as he ran his tongue straight up her folds. He kissed her clit lightly, enjoying the feeling of her squirming below him. He sucked on it carefully.

''Ron... Ron... Ron...'' she gasped hungrily, her hips rising of their own accord to meet him. She felt a finger plunge deep inside of her, causing her to scream out loud. Ron's mouth continued to work her and another finger plunged inside. She was writhing and screaming and panting because of him. The thought made him harder than before, to the point that it was painful.

The spring that had built inside her snapped and she felt herself orgasm around his fingers. Her breath slowed and she lay still. As she recovered, Ron pointed his wand at his stomach, casting a quick contraceptive spell on himself. He once more lay over her, kissing the sweat from her lips and along her jaw.

''I love you,'' she whispered to him.

''I love you too,'' he replied softly, ''Are you sure you want to do this?''

''Yes Ron. Please.'' she replied, already needing to feel him inside her.

''If it hurts too much say, and we can stop,'' his beautiful blue eyes searched hers for signs of uncertainty. Her big brown eyes, however, met his, reflecting only love. He shifted his weight so that he rested the tip against into her. She reached up and kissed him. He moved his hips downwards, pushing into her slightly. A bit more movement and he was fully engulfed by her. Tears swum in her eyes as the pain hit.

''I'm sorry, sweetie,'' he murmured, beginning to pull out again.

''No!'' she placed her hands on his backside to stop him from leaving, ''It's supposed to hurt, and its fading now anyway.''

She kissed him deeply, pushing her tongue into his mouth. He stayed still for a minute or so, allowing her body to adjust. She moved her hips in a rocking motion, signalling to him that he could move. He slowly began to rock within her, feeling that he could explode into her at any moment.

''I'm sorry 'Mione,'' he grunted, ''I don't think I can hold on for very long. You're just so hot and wet and tight.''

He groaned the last part of his sentence and tried to hold off.

''It's ok,'' she panted, ''I don't mind.''

That was all he needed to hear, he continued to rock his hips, burying his head in the crook of her neck. She felt so damn good. He sat up a bit so that he could see her face. She looked so amazing with her hair all over the place. And he was pouring himself into her as he moaned her name over and over again. He thrusted a few more times into her and then came to a stop. A lone tear ran down her face.

''I'm sorry,'' she whispered, ''I just love you so much and you looked so beautiful just then and...''

He cut her off with a kiss, a tear running down his own face. They had made love, sealed their commitment and love for one another for the first time. Neither had been so happy in their lives.

* * *

><p><strong>I played around with locations and timings with this one loads, but I came to the conclusion that Hermione and Ron would have waited for a while. The thing was with those two, they were always a good few steps behind Ginny and Harry, shown by them having kids a bit later as well. Again, I was going to continue this on a bit longer than I did, like to the following morning but I think finishing here worked better. Thank you for reading again!<strong>


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